Pain and Healing Rewrite
by JasonMorganfan87
Summary: Rewrite of my story 'Pain and Healing'. Dan took Lucas away from Karen when he was five. Eleven years later Karen returns and so do the memories Lucas has long since tried to forget.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: ****I don't own One Tree Hill or any of its characters.**

**Background: ****Karen and Keith got together right after Lucas was born and had another child and that child is Jake. Jake is a year younger than Lucas and was mostly raised by his mother and step father Andy. Jake does not know that he has a brother.**

**A/N: Okay, so I started this story when I first started writing, but after getting some experience, I realized that it was poorly written, so I decided to rewrite. I'm hoping it'll be better this time around.**

**Pain and Healing**

_Eleven years earlier_

Deb Scott drove towards her house. She was on her lunch break from work and decided to spend it at home. As soon as she pulled into her driveway, she found herseld confused. She was confused because she noticed her husband's car in the driveway. '_He's not supposed to be home yet,' _she thought to herself. Dan usually worked until around five or six and he seldom came home for breaks.

After getting out of the car, Deb walked into the house and immediately went to find her husband. She went upstairs toward her bedroom and was about to go in when she noticed her five-year old son Nathan in his room. She walked in and saw him stuffing toys and clothes in a duffle bag. If Dan being home early didn't cause warning bells, that certainly would. "Nathan, what are you doing, sweetie?" Asked Deb.

"Daddy says, I have to pack," Nathan said

" Pack for what?" She asked.

"He says we're going on an adventure" Nathan answered cheerfully.

Deb looked at her son in shock for a minute before deciding to go get answers out of Dan. She walked to their bedroom and found him packing a suitcase himself. " Dan what is…?"

"Shh," Dan interrupted.

Deb was about to speak again when she noticed him. Behind her husband on their bed was a sleeping blond haired little boy who looked about the same age as her son. She had a feeling she knew who he was, but she needed confirmation. "Who is that?"

"That's Lucas. That's my son" Dan states simply as he continued to pack.

Deb stared at her husband in shock. She knew it was him, but hearing out loud didn't make him being there any less shocking. "What's he doing here Dan? Does Karen know he's here?"

"No, she doesn't know," he answered.

"Okay, Dan, I don't know what the hell is going on, but you need to take him home," Deb said. If Dan had taken Lucas without Karen's permission, it was kidnapping. He could go to jail for this. That certainly wasn't in anyone's best interests.

"No," was all Dan said. He would not take Lucas back, not ever. It was his job to protect Lucas and that was what he was going to do.

"Okay, Dan, if you wanna know your son, that's fine. I will support you one hundred percent, but not this way. You can't just steal him from his mother," Deb said. She couldn't condone that. She was a mother herself. She couldn't even imagine someone just taking her child.

"You don't understand. I didn't have a choice" Dan said.

"What do you mean you didn't have a choice?"

" Look I don't have time to explain. We have to get out of here now," Dan said with desperation in his voice.

"Whoa, hold on a second? You wanna go on the run with this child? Are you crazy? Forget for a second that it's illegal, think about what you're doing to our family and to Lucas. You're gonna take Lucas away from his mother and force him and Nathan to leave their homes?" Deb asked in disbelief. She understood Dan wanting to be in his son's life, and she knew he could go to the extreme to get what he wanted, but this was extreme even for him.

"Do you think I want this? Do you think I want to turn that little boy's world upside down? Do you think I want to rip Karen's heart out? You think I want to uproot you and Nathan?" Dan yelled. He didn't want any of that, but he knew he couldn't bring Lucas home. He had to get him out of there for his own good.

On the bed, Lucas whimpered a little, but then went right back to sleep.

Dan grabbed onto the dresser for support and tried to calm down before he woke his son up for real. "I don't want any of this, Deb, but I don't see any other alterative."

"Dan what is going on?" Deb asked. She knew now that this was not just a desperate attempt to be with Lucas or to hurt Karen. His voice and his face were filled with pain and anger. Something had happened. Something bad.

"I can't explain right now. There's no time. I don't know how long it will take Karen to realize I have Lucas. I will explain, I swear, but right now you just have to trust me. I am trying to protect my son. Please help me" He pleaded

"You promise to explain later?" Deb asked. She couldn't believe she was even considering this. She was about to agree to take someone's child away. But the look on Dan's face told her the situation was dire. It also told her that Dan was going to take Lucas whether she agreed to help or not, which meant it had to be bad because nothing less than a life or death situation would have Dan even considering leaving her and Nathan.

"Yes"

"Alright, let's go."


	2. Chapter 2

_Present Day_

It was seven AM Monday morning when Dan and Deb Scott were in the kitchen having breakfast with their sons, Lucas and Nathan. It had been eleven years since they had taken their children out of Tree Hill. They returned 4 years ago after learning that Karen and Keith had left town. Dan had been a bit uneasy about it at first, but by then Karen had been gone for six years and after talking to a few people, he'd come to the conclusion that she never contacted the police. It came as a surprise to him, but not an unwelcome one. And the truth was, he wanted to move back to his home town.

"So, what are guys up to this today?" Dan asked his sons.

"Well, we have practice from 3 to 5 and tonight theirs a party at Tim's for the team we wanted to catch," Nathan answered.

Nathan and Lucas were on the basketball team at Tree Hill High. The truth is that Dan was not too wild about that fact. He knew all too well what that game could turn a teenage boy into and he would be damned if he let that happen to his sons. "I don't want you boys to make basketball your whole lives, do you understand? There is more to life than basketball."

"Yes dad," Both boys echoed. They both knew all too well how their father felt about letting the game go to their heads. He'd given them a big lecture about it when they first expressed the desire to play.

"Dan let them be. They know where the line is," Deb said.

Dan grunted before going back to his food.

"Well, we better go before we're late for school," Lucas said before standing up from his seat. He grabbed his bad and car keys and headed for the door. Nathan followed closely behind him.

xxxxxxxxxx

Lucas and Nathan arrived at Tree Hill High at about 7:30. They reached their lockers where they found Brook, Payton, and Haley.

"Hey Broody" Book said cheerfully.

"Hey Cheery." Lucas said as he leaned in to kiss her.

"Hey." Haley said to Nathan with a smile.

"Hi." Nathan said as he too leaned in to kiss his girlfriend.

"All right you guys knock it off, lovebirds." Said Payton half-jokingly. She loved her friends, she really did, but sometimes their lovey dovey stuff got annoying.

"You know, you wouldn't be complaining if you had someone to make out with too," Brook teased

"And she will. Payton's just waiting for the right guy. And we should head out anyway. We're gonna be late for English," Haley said.

Brook groaned. "I'd prefer being late for English. Or just not going at all would work too."

Lucas laughed and put an arm around her. "Then you wouldn't be able to cheer for Friday's game and I need my personal cheerleader."

"Yeah, and we need our cheer captain," Payton added.

"Besides, English isn't that bad," Lucas said.

"Spoken from the guy who likes reading and writing," Nathan teased his brother, earning an elbow in the ribs by his girlfriend.

"Hey, I like English too," Haley said, pretending to be insulting.

They started walking to class when they noticed a boy nearby talking to the principal. The boy looked about 15 and had dark brown, slightly curly hair.

"Who's he?" asked Brook.

"I don't know. He must be new," Haley said. Tree Hill High was a very small school. Everyone knew everybody there. If there was a new face, it had to mean they were new.

"He's kinda cute" Payton said.

"Isn't he a little young for you Peyton. He can't be older than fifteen," Nathan said.

"Hey, you can't be too picky these days," Payton said.

"Go for it P Sawyer." Said Brook and they continued to walk to class.

Xxxxxxxxx

At 3pm, Lucas and Nathan were in the gym getting ready for practice. Nathan noticed their coach Whitey come in with the kid they had seen earlier. "Hey, look, it's the new kid with Whitey. You think he's joining the team?

Lucas looks at Whitey and the new kid and then back to Nathan and said, "Well, there is an open spot, so maybe."

"Well, if he is, he better be good. The last thing we need is dead weight," Nathan said.

Lucas mumbled his agreement. He honestly didn't care if they got a new player. If he turned out to be bad, Whitey would just cut him.

"Attention gentlemen, you have a new teammate. This is Jake Scott. Make him feel Welcome." Whitey said.

Lucas stopped dead in his tracks and looked at the younger boy. He looked at him like someone looks at an intruder. In Lucas' eyes, that was what he was. An intruder that had entered the near perfect life he now had. He was that and a reminder of when it wasn't so perfect.

"Did he say Scott? Damn, talk about coincidences. Or is it? You think we have a relative we don't know about?" Nathan asked laughing. He was joking of course. There was no way the new kid was related to them. A lot of people had the last name Scott.

Lucas almost snorted. Nathan had no idea how close he was. Nathan wasn't aware of the circumstance surrounding his mother and why their father had taken him away. And Lucas preferred it that way. Nathan didn't need that in his head and Lucas didn't want him to have it there. He wouldn't be able to stand the pity he knew his brother would give him if he knew.

Nathan noticed that his brother's mine appeared to be somewhere else. "You okay, man?"

"Huh? Yeah, fine. Let's get started before Whitey kills us," Lucas said before hurrying over to the rest of the team, all the while occasionally glaring at their newest teammate. And his younger brother.


	3. Chapter 3

Deb was in the kitchen making dinner when Lucas and Nathan came home. "Hey how was your day?"

Lucas didn't answer. He just ran past her and up the stairs as though he never even heard her speak.

"What happened?" Deb asked Nathan. It was unlike her stepson to just ignore her like that. Something was definitely up with him.

"I don't know. He's been like that since practice. I don't know why." Nathan answered. It had actually been very strange. Lucas had been fine when they went to practice. Then all of a sudden he was really moody and angry.

"Did anything out of the ordinary happen today?" Deb asker as she tried to piece together what happened to upset Lucas so much.

"Well, there was one thing. We got a new teammate today. Some new kid," Nathan said. He couldn't see why that would bother his brother though. When they first learned of a new teammate, Lucas seemed to be fine with it.

"You think he's upset about the competition?" Deb asked. Even as she said it she didn't believe it. Lucas loved basketball, but he wasn't so competitive that he would feel threatened by a new player. Nathan was more likely to become competitive than Lucas

"Maybe, but I doubt it. Lucas isn't like that. He doesn't usually care who joins the team. He isn't the type to take offense to new players joining the team. He probably just got into a fight with Brook or something. Don't worry, he'll probably get over it at the party tonight." Nathan assured his mother.

"Well, if you're sure" Deb said.

Xxxxxxxxxxx

Later that night, Lucas and Nathan arrived at Tim Smith's house for a party he was throwing for the team. Lucas wasn't really up to partying, but he'd already made plans with Brook to come and he knew it wouldn't end well if he backed up. Besides, if he changed plans at the last minute, his dad would get suspicious and badger him about why.

The two boys spotted Brook and Payton across the room and went to meet them.

"Hey, boyfriend" Said Brook

"Hey," Lucas said as they kissed.

'_Well there goes the idea that they were fighting,' _Nathan thought. Brook and Lucas fighting was the reason he figured for Lucas being so upset afternoon, but that theory was obviously false.

Nathan decided to table the stuff with his brother. He was here to party with his girlfriend. "Where's Haley?"

"Oh, she told me to tell you she couldn't come. She just got a job and she had to work tonight._" _Payton answered.

"Where?" Nathan asked surprised and slightly depressed. He'd been looking forward to spending time with her tonight.

"Some new place. I think it's called _Karen's café."_ Payton told him

Lucas stiffened. He knew it couldn't be a coincidence that someone with his mother's name opened a place on the exact day that his so called brother showed up. It had to be her.

Brook looked at Lucas and noticed he looked upset. "Are you okay, babe?"

"I'm fine. I'm just going to get some air." Lucas lied before walking away. He needed a few moments to himself.

"What's up with him?" Brook asked.

"I don't know. He's been like that since practice. I thought maybe the two of you had a fight." Nathan replied.

"No, we're fine" Brook said

"Maybe he just had one of those days. Whatever it is I'm sure he'll get over it." Payton said.

"Yeah, you're probably right" replied Nathan, though he wasn't so sure. Something about this all just seemed really off

Xxxxxxxxxxx

Lucas walked outside Tim's house and ran right into Jake Scott. "Watch where you're going." He yelled.

"Oh, Sorry about that. I'm Jake by the way." Jake said, as he held out his hand for Lucas.

"Yeah, I know exactly who you are." Lucas replied coldly, as he walked away.

Xxxxxxxxxxx

Dan and Deb are in bed reading. Dan looks at his wife and says, "Did Lucas seem distracted during dinner."

"Yeah, he was upset when he got home. Nathan seems to think that he might have had a fight with Brook." Deb replied.

"Yeah maybe. Maybe I should talk to him, figure out what the problem is," Dan said concerned. It wasn't often that he saw Lucas so upset. His first born could be moody sometimes, but not like this. He'd looked like he was ready to hit someone. That was semi normal for Nathan, but not Lucas.

"Dan, I think you should let him try to figure whatever this is out for himself. Listen, I know how protective you are of Lucas, but I'm sure he's fine." Deb tried to soothe Dan. Dan was much more protective of Lucas than Nathan. Under the circumstances though, it was understandable. Lucas had had a rough start in life.

Dan started thinking about the past, particularly about the first year after Lucas came to live with them.

_Flashback_

"_Daddy!" 6-year old Lucas screams._

_Dan walked into Lucas's room and goes to him. "Are you okay pal?" _

_Lucas immediately through his arms around his father's neck and buried his head into his shoulder._

Dan rubbed small circles on his son's back. "_Did you have a nightmare buddy?" _

"_Uh huh," Lucas said while he continued to hug his father. _

"_It's okay now son. Daddy's here and I'll never let anyone hurt you again." Dan soothed. _

_End Flashback _

"He's been through a lot" said Dan. That incident had just been one of many. Lucas had had many before and after that night. Actually, that night was probably one of the better nights during that time period. It was much worse during the first several months.

"I know, but he's okay now. He'll be okay. You can't protect him from everything," Deb said. She understood her husband's need to protect his son, but Lucas was not five anymore. Dan needed to realize he couldn't protect him from the world.

"I know," Dan sighed.


	4. Chapter 4

Jake walked through the front door of his house at about 11pm. He found his mother and step father in the living room.

"Hey sweetie, how was the party?" Karen Hardgrove asked her son.

"It was alright." Jake said hesitantly. He couldn't get that kid that he'd bumped into out of his mind. It was a guy from basketball practice, Lucas. During practice, he couldn't help but think the guy had a problem with him. He'd chalked it up to paranoia at the time, but it was clear now that it was not in his head.

"You don't sound so sure," Jake's stepfather, Andy Hardgrove said.

"Well, it was good for the most part," Jake said.

"So, what wasn't good about it?" Karen asked. She knew her son well and she knew he was being deliberately evasive.

"Well when I first got to the party, I ran into this guy. I apologized for running into him and tried to introduce myself and he basically acted like I was public enemy number one," Jake admitted reluctantly

"Could it be because you're the new guy? I mean, there's always a little hazing for the new guy to the team," Andy said.

"Maybe. You know that's probably it because he was glaring me throughout all of practice today too." Jake concluded. It made sense, he supposed. Actually, it was the only that did make sense. After all, until today, he'd never even met Lucas. The guy had no reason to dislike him.

"Maybe I should come down and speak to the principal," Karen said. She did not like the idea of her son being targeted, no matter what the reason. Jake hadn't done anything wrong and he'd had a hard enough life as it was. He didn't need a bully adding to that.

Jake's eyes widened in horror. "No, Mom, please! That's the last thing I need! Look, I can handle it. Andy's right, it's probably just a little harmless hazing on the new guy."

"Are you sure?" Karen asked.

"I'm positive. I'll be fine," Jake promised.

"Alright, but you have to promise to let us know if it becomes too much," Karen told her son.

"I promise. I'm gonna go to be now. I'm kind of tired," Jake said.

"Okay, goodnight honey." Karen told said.

"Night guys," he said before walking towards his bedroom

After Jake went to bed, Andy noticed his wife looked a little worried. "He'll be fine, honey?"

"I can't help but worry, Andy. He doesn't deserve to have to deal with a school bully alone with everything else he's been through in the past. And you know, this is part of the reason I didn't want him joining that team. I know what that game can turn a person into and I don't want that happening to Jake." Karen explained.

"Karen, he had one run in with someone on the team. It's not the end of the world. And as for what he's been through, yeah, he has been through a lot, but at least this is something normal for him to go through. Besides, Jake can handle himself against a couple of bullies.

"It's not just that though. What if he decides he wants to be like them? What if he starts acting like that to the next new player on the team?" Karen asked concerned.

"Oh, come on Karen, when have you ever known Jake to be a bully. Jake is not Dan, Karen, and he's not Keith either. His last name might be Scott, but that boy is all you," Andy assured her.

"I know Jake isn't like his father or his uncle. But I watched basketball destroy Dan and then Dan turned around and destroyed me," Karen said with hurt and anger laced in her voice.

"Dan took a lot from you, there's no denying that, but he didn't destroy you. You're still here," Andy told her.

"Not all of me. You wouldn't know because you didn't know me back then, but a part of me is gone. Dan took it with him when he took my son," Karen said sadly. Loosing Lucas still weighed heavy on her. It always would. She spent every day wondering what he looked like and what he was doing. Was Dan treating him well? Over the years, she'd had to settle for hoping he was. She prayed that Dan came to love Lucas and that he treated him the way a boy deserved to be treated. She did her best not to allow any other thoughts to plague her mind.

"You're going to see Lucas again one day, Karen," Andy promised.

"You've been saying that since I told you about him. It still hasn't happened," Karen said.

"Doesn't mean it won't. Even if you don't find him, he'll find you. He's getting older now. He's going to wonder about you. Eventually, he'll set off to find his mother," Andy said.

"You don't know that. You don't know what Dan's told him about me. For all he knows, I gave him up or I died. He might have no reason to come find me," Karen said sadly.

"He'll want to know that for himself eventually. He'll want to hear what happened from you. And that's when you'll tell him. You'll tell him that you love him and that you never gave him up," Andy said.

"I just want to see him. Even if he hates me, even if he's exactly like Dan, I want to see that he's alright. I want to be able to take him into my arms.

"You will. I'll see to it," Andy said. To this day, he had PI's looking for Lucas. They hadn't found anything so far, but they would someday. H wouldn't let them stop until they did.

"You know, I don't want to talk about this anymore. I think I'm just going to head to bed. I'll see you soon," she said before kissing him on the cheek and leaving the room.


	5. Chapter 5

The next few weeks passed with Lucas making Jake's life at school as difficult as possible. It was mostly little things like calling him names, stealing his clothes after practice, or putting shaving cream in his shoes, anything to make him suffer. He had yet to see his mother, but that would soon change.

One day, Lucas and Nathan were hanging out in their kitchen with Brook and Payton. Nathan was a little down because Haley wasn't there. She had to work. She had been doing that a lot lately.

"Okay you guys, I think Nathan's going to burst if he doesn't see Haley soon, so why don't go check out her new job and have her wait on us hand and foot?" Brook suggested humorously.

Nathan's face lit up at the idea. "Yeah, let's go.

Everyone else seemed to agree except for Lucas. He did not like the idea at all. As a matter of fact, the farther away he was from his mother and her son the happier he'd be. Going to the café his mother owed did not exactly seem like the best way to accomplish that goal. "You know what? You guys go ahead. I'm going to stay here?"

"And what are you going to do? Sit home and knit?" Nathan teased.

"Yeah, come on Luke, you have to come. It won't be the same without you. Please? Brook said with pleading eyes

Lucas cringed. He hated it when Brook looked at him like that. He could never say no to her when she looked at him like that. He supposed he could avoid Karen for an hour or two. It wasn't worth getting in a fight with brook to boycott the café. "Alright, let's go."

"Cool, let's go. I'll drive," Nathan said before standing up and grabbing his keys from the counter. He then led the way out of the house through the back door. They were heading for his car when they saw Dan come their way from his own car.

"Hey, guys. Where you headed?"

"Hey, Dad. We're going out for lunch downtown. The new place," Nathan told his father.

Dan frowned. "There's a new place downtown?"

"No offense, Mr. Scott, but have you been living under a rock?" Brook asked.

"Yeah, it's been open for weeks now. Haley works there," Nathan added.

"Ah, so that's why she hasn't been attached to your arm recently," Dan ribbed good naturedly.

"Anyway, we're gonna go down for lunch. This way we get eat and Nathan can stop moping around," Peyton said.

"I do not mope," Nathan protested.

"Yeah, and Lucas doesn't brood," she said laughing.

"Hey!" both brothers said at the same time.

Dan laughed. "She's got you there, boys. Anyway, I'll see you guys later. Be home for Dinner, guys. We're having lasagna."

"Oh, sweet! You know we'll be here," Nathan said before continuing to his car. They all piled in and then Nathan drove away.

Xxxxxxxxxxx

About fifteen minutes later they arrived at the café and decided to sit at the counter. A couple minutes later, they spotted Haley.

"Hey, Tutor Girl, over here." Brook called, using her favorite nickname for Haley.

Haley turned to them. As soon as she saw Nathan, she headed over and kissed Nathan. "Hey, there."

"I missed you." Nathan said smiling and kissed her again.

"Alright already. Cut down on the PDA a little, will you?" Payton asked in mock anger.

"So, what are guys doing her?" Haley asked

"We thought we'd check out the place and have you wait on us. Plus, Nathan was getting on our nerves with his moping," Brook said smiling.

"I was not moping!" Nathan huffed for the second time. "How come no one ever rubs Lucas? If anyone mopes, it's him."

"Because we expect it from him. It's part of his charm," Brook said.

"Gee, thanks," Lucas said sarcastically.

Just then, Haley's boss Karen walked over to the group.

Lucas stared as his mother approached him, his brother, and his friends. It had been eleven years since he'd seen her. She didn't seem to have changed much. She looked pretty much the same as the last time he'd seen her. About the only thing that had changed was the way he felt about her. Back then, she was his everything. Now he hated her, her and her twisted family.

"Mrs. Hardgrove, I'm not slacking off, I swear. I just wanted to come over and say hi to my friends.

Lucas frowned at the name Haley had called his mother. Hardgrove. Obviously she had dumped his loser uncle and hooked up with some other loser. If she had just gotten a divorce, she would've gone back to her maiden name. Instead, she had someone else's name, indicating that she'd gotten remarried.

"Haley, how many times do I have to tell you to call me Karen, and it's fine. You're entitled to a break. So, who're your friends?" Karen asked

"Oh, I'm sorry. These are Brook, Peyton, Nathan, and Lucas." Haley introduced.

Karen stiffened a bit when she heard the last boy's name. Lucas. She knew it was a coincidence. This boy was not her son. Still, hearing his name made her think about her boy. It made her wonder about her son was doing.

Karen had to shake the thoughts of her older son away. "It's nice to meet you all. Do you guys go to Tree Hill High?"

They all nodded

"Maybe you know my son. His name is Jake. He just started a few weeks ago."

"Yeah, we know him. Is he here?" Peyton asked, trying not to sound so eager to see him.

"No, he's home with his stepfather. They've got a fun filled day of basketball in front of the TV," Karen said.

"Dude, there's a game on and you dragged me here?" Lucas asked his brother irritably. Let's see, watch basketball or talk to a woman he despised. It was pretty much a no brainer.

"Oh, yeah, I'm sure Dad would've been real happy if we spent the day watching basketball," Nathan said. He could practically hear the lecture already. _'There is more to life than basketball. I don't want the two of you spending your life on some stupid gam.' _That's what their father would be saying if they'd stayed to watch the game. "Besides, it was Brook's idea to come here, not mine."

Haley put her hands on her hips and glared jokingly. "Are you saying you didn't want to come?"

"Of course I wanted to come. You know I love spending time with you," Nathan said with a smile.

"Okay, you know, the rest of us actually want to enjoy lunch, so again, could you tone it down?" Peyton asked.

Just then, Jake entered the café and walked over to them. "Hey, guys."

"Hi, honey, what are you doing here? I thought you were watching the game," Karen said.

"Oh, they interrupted it with some news bulletin. It didn't look like was going to come back on anytime soon, so I decided to come for lunch," Jake said.

"Well, I'm always glad to see my son," Karen said before kissing him on the cheek.

At this point Lucas was really starting to lose it. Dealing with just Karen was bad enough, but now he had to deal with her and her son? No, he couldn't handle that. He had to get out of there soon or he was going to explode.

Lucas stood up from his stool, looked at his chair and said, "you know what, guys, I gotta get out of here okay? Nathan I'll see you at home?"

Lucas then started to leave when he tripped on something on the floor and fell to the ground.

Karan immediately went to help the kid up. "Here, let me help.

Lucas jerked away from her and pulled himself up. "Don't touch me! Just leave me alone!" he screamed and stormed out of the café, leaving everyone else shocked in his wake.


	6. Chapter 6

Nathan made it back home about an hour later. He dropped Peyton and Brook off at Brook's, since the two of them had actually come over his house with Lucas and didn't have a car. Then he went straight home to find out what the hell his brother's deal was.

Lucas' actions the last few weeks had been a complete enigma to Nathan. Ever since Jake Scott had come to Tree Hill, he'd been a complete ass. He'd even gone so far as to mess with the kid whenever he could. That wasn't Lucas. Lucas wasn't a bully. He hated bullies. He was the one who stood up for those getting messed with. But with Jake somehow it was different. He just took an instant disliking to the kid.

And then there was what happened today. Lucas had completely freaked out with Jake's mom. All she did was try to help him when he fell and he balked like she was hot oil. Something was seriously up with Lucas and Nathan was done sitting on the sidelines waiting for it to pass. It was time to get to the bottom of this.

Nathan parked his car and walked into the house. He passed by the living room and saw his father on the couch. "Hey, Dad, is Lucas home yet?" He doubted it, seeing as his brother was on foot, but no matter. If Lucas wasn't home yet, he'd wait for him.

"Yeah, he got home a while ago and he seemed pretty upset. Did something happen when you were at lunch?" Dan asked. He'd tried to talk to his oldest when he got home and find out what was going on, but Lucas wouldn't talk to him. He just gave him some song and dance about not being hungry and headed upstairs.

"Uh, it's nothing. Him and Brook just had a fight," Nathan lied. He wasn't going to tell his father what had been going on just yet. He knew that his dad would be majorly pissed to hear about all the crap Lucas was pulling on Jake and he didn't want to get his brother in trouble.

"Again? They sure seem to be fighting a lot lately. Is everything okay?" Dan asked. He would hate if all this fighting caused Lucas and Brook to split. Lucas cared about Brook a lot and Brook was good for Lucas.

"Yeah, I'm sure it's just the typical couple stuff. I'm going to go talk to him," Nathan said.

"Yeah, he'll probably talk to you more than he will me," Dan said. He and Lucas were close, but no teenage boy wanted to talk his parents about issues with his girlfriend. He was much more inclined to talk to his brother.

Nathan immediately headed up the stairs and down the hall to Lucas' room. The door was open, so he walked inside. He saw Lucas lying upside down on his bed facing the TV. He was playing a basketball videogame. "Hey, man. I'm surprised you got home so fast."

"Tim drove by about ten minutes after I left. He gave me a lift," Lucas said as he continued to play.

"Everything okay?"

"Fine," Lucas answered, again without turning away from his game.

Nathan went over to the TV and shut of the TV and the videogame console.

"What the hell, man?" Lucas asked angrily.

"Yeah, that's what I wanna know. What the hell is up with you, man? What happened?" Nathan asked.

"Nothing. I just wasn't hungry," Lucas parroted off the same lie he'd given his father.

"Don't give me that crap! I'm not just talking about today. You've been off for weeks," Nathan said.

"No, I haven't," Lucas denied.

"No? So it wasn't you that's been tormenting Jake since he got here or lost it with his mom today?" Nathan asked.

"What do you care?!" Lucas asked angrily before standing up. "What, you wanna be Jake's best friend?"

"I care because you're my brother! I am worried about you, man. These last few weeks, it's like you've been a completely different person. You would never even think about targeting a younger kid like you've been doing to Jake earlier. What is it about this kid, man? Why do you hate him so much?" Nathan asked.

"Maybe I'm just trying to toughen him up to be a better player. Ever thought of that?" Lucas asked.

Nathan immediately shook his head. "No. That's not you either. That's more me than you. This is personal to you. You have got something against this guy."

"Just leave it, Nate," Lucas practically begged.

"I can't. Something about Jake and his mom is tearing you apart. Forget the crap you've been pulling for a minute. I see your face sometimes when you think no one's around. It's like that of a wounded puppy. I haven't seen you like that since we were kids," Nathan said. Contrary to what Lucas and his parents believed, he was not oblivious to the way things were when Lucas first joined their family. He wasn't sure what caused his brother and his father so much grief, but he knew something had."

Lucas stiffened considerably. Nathan wasn't supposed to know about that. He didn't want his brother to know the pain he'd suffered as a child. Nathan didn't need that in his head and Lucas wouldn't be able to stand the pity in his brother's eyes if he found out. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Oh, don't do that. Don't pretend like nothing happened. I may have been young, but I wasn't stupid, Luke. My room was across from yours. I heard your screams in the middle of the night. I also saw the look of terror on your face when someone went to touch you. I know that something God awful happened to you when you before you came to live with us. I don't know what it was, but I know it was bad," Nathan said.

"Nothing happened. You were imagining things," Lucas said. He knew his brother wouldn't believe him, but he just couldn't tell Nathan the truth or even admit that there was anything to tell. He just couldn't.

Nathan sighed. "Fine, I won't push it. It's in the past and you dealt with it your own way. But what is happening now is a completely different story. You have got to get your act together man. Sooner or later, Dad is going to find out about what's been going on with Jake. And you know how he feels about bullies."

Lucas glared daggers at his brother. "I am _not_ a bully! Don't you ever call me that again!" Being called a bully was not something he would tolerate. _He_ was a bully and Lucas would not be compared to _him._

"What would you call it? What do you think Dad will call it. You're tormenting a guy who's younger than you just because you can," Nathan said.

"You don't know what you're talking about!" Lucas yelled.

"I know that it's wrong. You've gotta stop this. If you don't, I will," Nathan warned his brother. He didn't want to do it, but if he had to, he would go to their father and tell him everything that was going on.

Lucas narrowed his eyes at his younger brother. "And what's that supposed to mean, Nathan? You gonna tell Daddy?"

"If I have to. I don't like what this is all doing to you, man. If I have to, I will tell Dad. Get it together so I don't have to," Nathan said before leaving the room.


End file.
